Blog Layout

Tips for Talking to Dad About Home Care

Admin • Mar 08, 2022

As an adult, it’s hard to admit you need help. Your dad’s pride is going to get in the way of admitting that he’s lonely or that he simply can’t do the same things he used to. There are gentle ways to get your dad to admit he needs home care. Here are a few of the best ways to discuss the needs for home care.

Focus on the Advantages

Bring up all the advantages your dad will gain if a home care professional comes to the home. Most older adults get tired of cooking their meals, vacuuming or sweeping floors, doing laundry, and changing linens. Point out that if home care came in, your dad would have help with the tiresome chores and have more time for fun activities.

Point Out How Home Care Keeps Him Independent

One of the biggest benefits to home care is the ability to remain at home. Make sure your dad knows that with a caregiver coming to the home, he retains his independence. He won’t move to a group home or your own house where he’d have to live by your rules. Home care enables him to stay in his home where he sets his own rules.

Ask a Trusted Professional for Help

The discussion to bring in outside help may go better if you have another person’s opinion. Make sure you chose someone your dad respects, such as a long-time family physician or religious leader of your dad’s church. Have that person sit down with you and discuss the benefits of having a professional come in to help with household tasks that have become a challenge.

Suggest a Trial Run

Make sure you emphasize that home care doesn’t have to be set in stone. Mention the myriad of ways he can have help at home and that services can be customized to meet his preferences. Suggest a trial run with a caregiver to start and see how your dad likes it for a week or two. If that caregiver doesn’t work for him, remind him that you can try other caregivers and schedules.

When you and your dad are ready, call a home care service to discuss his needs. Make sure he’s involved in the process and gets to ask every question he has. Involving him in the process is key to gaining his acceptance.

If you or an aging loved one are considering home care in Westchester, NY, contact Star One Home Care and Medical Staffing at 718-733-2222 or 914-362-0899. Call today!

Patricia Coffie, RN, BSN, MFA

Director of Client Services at Star One Home Care


Patricia Coffie, RN, BSN, MFA is Director of Client Services & Director of Phoenix Nurse Aide Training Center. Before assuming the post in 2012, Patricia was the Director or Nursing & Service Delivery at WRC for 3 years where she was the strategic lead for nursing and services to members.


Patricia started her nursing career 19 years ago at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and research institution in New York City, and since then has gained experience in Adult Intensive Care Units (ICU) , Pediatric Care (PICU ), Operating Room (OR) , mental health and community settings. She later moved into director of nursing roles, where she obtained extensive experience in leading and developing the nursing profession. She also pioneered good partnership working with other health care organizations, as well as social services, and the wider community.

Latest posts by Patricia Coffie, RN, BSN, MFA

Caring for a Parent with Vision Loss - July 25, 2017

Living with Huntington’s Disease - June 29, 2017

The Risks and Rehabilitation of a Stroke - June 22, 2017

Elderly Woman Staring at the Window — New York — Star One Home Care

What Can Your Loved One’s Home Tell You about Her Needs?

By Admin • 09 Mar, 2022
Your elderly loved one might not always be as open and honest with you about her need for help as you would like for her to be. In that case, you might need to go on a bit of a clue hunt around her house.
Elderly Woman and Her Son — New York — Star One Home Care

How Can You Balance Caregiving with All of Your Other Responsibilities?

By Admin • 09 Mar, 2022
In today’s society, you have way more on your plate than just caring for your elderly loved one. But when all of those responsibilities are just as important as the other ones, finding a balance might feel impossible to you. Start out by making a plan.
Healthy Foods — New York — Star One Home Care

Is Your Parent at Risk for Type 2 Diabetes?

By Admin • 09 Mar, 2022
Medical professionals believe that one out of every four people with diabetes don’t even know they have the disease. That amounts to around 7 million Americans who are completely unaware that they’re living with a serious condition. Type 2 diabetes is the most likely form of diabetes to strike older people, but it sometimes has no symptoms, which is why so many people don’t know they have it. So, could your elderly parent be at risk for Type 2 diabetes?
Volunteer Organizations — New York — Star One Home Care

Volunteer Organizations for you and your Aging Parent

By Admin • 09 Mar, 2022
As your parent becomes older and requires more assistance in order to age in their home, don’t feel like you have to provide all the support they need without any assistance. Being a primary family caregiver is a great source of inspiration and will provide wonderful memories for both you and your parent, but it can also be demanding and challenging. Making sure that your schedule leaves two days a week for you to partake in those activities that bring you great joy helps you remain refreshed and revitalized and lead a balanced life as you help your parent lead one as well.
Dog — New York — Star One Home Care

Keeping Pets Safe Outside in the Spring

By Admin • 08 Mar, 2022
Having a pet is a wonderful way to enhance your aging parent’s life and improve their health and well-being. With as much benefit as they can bring your aging loved one, it is easy to recognize why your loved one would want to put great effort into caring for their pet properly. A vital element of this is making sure that their pet remains safe. During the springtime months, your parent’s pet is likely to venture outside with them to get fresh air and sunlight. While this is healthy and beneficial for both of them, it can also pose a variety of serious risks that it is important to address.
Elderly Woman with Doctor — New York — Star One Home Care

May is the Better Hearing & Speech Month

By Admin • 08 Mar, 2022
May brings us Better Hearing & Speech Month. This obscure observation began back in 1927 in order to bring awareness about hearing loss and speech impediments and to the potential treatments. President Ronald Reagan made it official in 1986.
Elderly Woman And Man — New York — Star One Home Care

Ensuring Your Senior’s Eyes are Protected from the Sun

By Admin • 08 Mar, 2022
With the weather getting warmer and the days getting longer, many people are thinking about heading outside to enjoy some fresh air and activities. As a family caregiver this is a wonderful time for you to get your senior loved one more active and change up their routine after what might have been a long winter spent mostly indoors. When you are planning these activities, it is important that you take the time to make sure that your parent is properly protected. You likely already know the dangers that the sun poses to their skin and the importance of making sure that they wear the proper sunscreen on their skin when they are out of the house. It is vital, however, that you do not overlook the importance of protecting their eyes as well.
Caregiving Elderly Woman — New York — Star One Home Care

What Can You Do about a Loved One Who Is Less than Happy about Having a Caregiver?

By Admin • 08 Mar, 2022
Some elderly loved ones are less happy about needing some extra help than you thought they would be. When all you want to do is help your loved one, but you’re getting a lot of negativity back, it can be difficult to function.
Bathroom — New York — Star One Home Care

5 Bathroom Upgrades for Aging Loved Ones

By Admin • 08 Mar, 2022
Houses need to change to fit whatever phase of life its occupants are in. Families with young children need their home to meet certain safety requirements, while empty nesters may desire their space arranged differently. With elderly care, there are parts of the home that may need remodeling to provide the best use. Few rooms need more remodeling for aging home owners than the bathroom. Physical limitations, age-related conditions, and more can turn a bathroom into a serious of obstacles that prevent the elderly from taking care of themselves.
Kitchen — New York — Star One Home Care

Signs in Your Parent’s Kitchen That They Might be Suffering from Alzheimer’s

By Admin • 08 Mar, 2022
If you are like most family caregivers, one of the issues that you are most concerned about in your care journey is the possibility that your elderly parent will develop Alzheimer’s disease. Not being vigilant about this possibility or not taking the steps to be aware of it, however, puts your aging loved one at greater risk. It is vital that you be aware of your parent’s health and well-being, and strive to detect early signs of Alzheimer’s disease so that together you can make the decisions about their care and management that are right for them. One of the simplest ways to possibly detect the early signs of Alzheimer’s disease is to evaluate their home. This can help you to identify behaviors or issues that might indicate that they are dealing with a decline in their cognitive functioning. This allows you to bring them in for the proper diagnosis and get on the course of management and treatment that is most appropriate for their particular needs.
More Posts
Share by: